The ruins of the Sacred Heart Church, Galveston, Texas, after the category 4 Hurricane which struck on 8th September 1900. (Photo by FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The ruins of the Sacred Heart Church, Galveston, Texas, after the category 4 Hurricane which struck on 8th September 1900. (Photo by FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Photo: FPG, Getty Images

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UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: African American boy, sitting on debris in the wake of the 1900 hurricane, Galveston, Texas. (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: African American boy, sitting on debris in the wake of the 1900 hurricane, Galveston, Texas. (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

Photo: Buyenlarge, Getty Images

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UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: African American men carrying body on stretcher, surrounded by wreckage of the hurricane and flood, Galveston, Texas. (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: African American men carrying body on stretcher, surrounded by wreckage of the hurricane and flood, Galveston, Texas. (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

Photo: Buyenlarge, Getty Images

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UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: Two African American women search through rubble following a violent hurricane which devastated most of Galveston and took more than 5,000 lives. (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: Two African American women search through rubble following a violent hurricane which devastated most of Galveston and took more than 5,000 lives. (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

Photo: Buyenlarge, Getty Images

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UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on the city of Galveston, Texas on September 8, 1900. It had estimated winds of 135 mph (215 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm. (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images) less

UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1900: The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on the city of Galveston, Texas on September 8, 1900. It had estimated winds of 135 mph (215 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm. ... more

Photo: Buyenlarge, Getty Images

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View down 22nd Street in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

View down 22nd Street in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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Galveston residents try to rebuild in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Galveston residents try to rebuild in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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A house on Avenue N sits on its side in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

A house on Avenue N sits on its side in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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Workers try to clean up debris in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Workers try to clean up debris in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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A disaster relief crew sorts through the hurricane's wreckage in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

A disaster relief crew sorts through the hurricane's wreckage in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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A dredge boat was left three miles in shore in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

A dredge boat was left three miles in shore in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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A temporary homeless shelter is set up in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

A temporary homeless shelter is set up in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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Many Galveston residents decided to leave the city permanently in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Many Galveston residents decided to leave the city permanently in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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A look out into the gulf in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

A look out into the gulf in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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Fifty-one were killed at Lucas Terrace during the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Fifty-one were killed at Lucas Terrace during the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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Looking north on 19th Street in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Looking north on 19th Street in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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A public school sits destroyed in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

A public school sits destroyed in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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Sacred Heart in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Sacred Heart in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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St. Patrick's in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

St. Patrick's in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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Waves Caprice in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Waves Caprice in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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A wrecked school in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

A wrecked school in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Photo: U.S. Library Of Congress

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Scroll through the gallery to see which names will can no longer be used for future hurricanes.

Scroll through the gallery to see which names will can no longer be used for future hurricanes.

Photo: By The Enterprise

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Retired Hurricanes since 2003

The worst Atlantic hurricanes to hit the U.S. in the past dozen years.

(Photo: Hurricane Sandy in 2012)

Retired Hurricanes since 2003

The worst Atlantic hurricanes to hit the U.S. in the past dozen years.

(Photo: Hurricane Sandy in 2012)

Photo: Handout, Getty Images

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Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast on 2012.

Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast on 2012.

Photo: Mark Lennihan, Associated Press

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Hurricane Irene hit in 2011.

Hurricane Irene hit in 2011.

Photo: Associated Press

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Two men use a boat to explore a street flooded by Hurricane Irene Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011 in Monteo, N.C. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Two men use a boat to explore a street flooded by Hurricane Irene Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011 in Monteo, N.C. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Photo: John Bazemore, Associated Press

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Hurricane Igor hit in 2010.

Hurricane Igor hit in 2010.

Photo: Paul Daly, AP

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Hurricane Tomas hit in 2010.

Hurricane Tomas hit in 2010.

Photo: Ramon Espinosa, AP

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Hurricane Gustav hit the Southeast U.S. in 2008.

Hurricane Gustav hit the Southeast U.S. in 2008.

Photo: Mario Tama, Getty Images

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David Walker with the Transportation Security Administration, inspects three vessels that broke loose in the Industrial Canal during Hurricane Gustav, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Rob Carr) less

David Walker with the Transportation Security Administration, inspects three vessels that broke loose in the Industrial Canal during Hurricane Gustav, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Rob ... more

The storm turned out to be more powerful than the hurricane that destroyed Galveston 15 years earlier.

Like the 1900 Galveston hurricane, the 1915 Galveston hurricane - as it is now known - was a Category 4, but this one covered a huge area.

A story in the Beaumont Enterprise said the storm lashed the Gulf Coast from Tampa to Brownsville. It had sustained winds of 135 miles per hour with wind gusts of up to 145 miles per hour and lasted twice as long - three days. By the time it was over, the storm claimed 275 lives.

As in 2008 for Hurricane Ike, Southeast Texas was on the "dirty side." The wind forced the waters of the Sabine Lake all the way up into Port Arthur, and the course of the Neches River turned and ran in the opposite direction, upstream.

The night of Aug. 16, when the wind began to howl and the rain pelted down, Port Arthur residents started to fear the worst. The devastation and death toll in Galveston 15 years earlier was on their minds. People realized they needed to find refuge.

Weather conditions increased in severity all afternoon. By 9:30 p.m., most power was lost. By 2:30 Tuesday morning, Sabine Lake pushed its way into downtown Port Arthur. By noon all structures had several feet of water. Much of Port Arthur eventually was submerged under 10-12 feet of water.

On the morning of the 17th, the Enterprise reported that Beaumont and Port Arthur had survived one of the most terrific hurricanes in their history, not realizing there was more to come. They reported that windows had been blown out, trees downed and outhouses blown away.

Farther inland from the Gulf, Beaumont became the evacuation destination for those fleeing the storm. Hundreds of residents from the coastal areas of Caplan, High Island, Port Arthur, Rollover, Sabine and Sabine Pass poured into the city.

By late Monday afternoon, water was rising speedily in Port Arthur.

The 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. interurban trains to Beaumont were crammed with fleeing residents. The trains were forced to shut down soon afterward, when every Beaumont street car became tied up in the exodus. Even Beaumont residents themselves couldn't get a ride home.

Gale force winds downed electrical wires, which fell across the trolley wires. The threat of electrocution prevented the cars carrying evacuees from Port Arthur from going more than a short distance in Beaumont. When all power was lost about 8:30 p.m., Beaumont came to a standstill.

There weren't nearly enough rooms to house all the people. By 7 p.m. every hotel in town was overflowing with evacuees.

The Enterprise told of women, babies and children sitting out the storm in hotel lobbies. It wasn't just out-of-towners who rushed to the hotels. Many Beaumonters felt they would be safer in the large structures than in their wood-framed homes, so they flocked there as well.

Meanwhile in Port Arthur, another dangerous situation was developing. As in Beaumont, many residents thought holing up in big buildings downtown would be safer than remaining in their homes. When transportation to Beaumont quit, they raced to downtown Port Arthur. The water eventually flooded the bottom floors of all the buildings, leaving no way in or out.

On the evening of the 17th, the Beaumont Journal reported that a distress signal had reached Beaumont from Port Arthur. Some of the buildings were so crammed with people that they were on the verge of collapsing.

With Mayor Emmett A. Fletcher prevailing upon Kansas City Southern Railroad, a rescue team headed to Port Arthur with three train flat cars loaded with power boats, rowboats and skiffs.

A report reached the Journal at 2:30 p.m. that not an inch of land could be seen. There were reports of corpses floating in the streets. With lines of communication down, rumors of death and devastation circulated wildly. No one could tell truth from fiction.

By Tuesday night the worst of the storm was over. Rain was still pouring down and the water was still rising, but the Beaumont relief effort had made it through, rescuing about 1,900 stranded Port Arthur citizens, who were transported to Beaumont by truck, train and interurban cars.

At that point, water had risen to seven feet on Proctor Street and Lakeshore Drive. People who had escaped to the multistory buildings were safe, but deprived of food and fresh water. The water supply had been shut off the previous day, and sanitary conditions were deteriorating.

Residents left on the ground were elated to see the relief train from Beaumont. Some were so traumatized that they jumped onboard with just the clothes on their backs and not a penny on them. Women cradled children in their arms as they waded through the floodwaters to reach the train.

Even after boarding, many remained anxious about their safety until the train began to move.